1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the game of bingo and, more specifically, to a method and apparatus for playing the game of bingo on a slot machine or the like.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The game of bingo has for many years been a popular game to play by people of all ages. Bingo's popularity as a gambling game has grown to the point where gambling casinos have set up bingo games in recent years as an added attraction for their players. However, attempts to implement the game of bingo into a slot machine have been few and unsuccessful.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,743,024 to Helm et al. discloses an amusement arcade machine for playing the game of bingo. As disclosed, the machine comprises a display panel having a fixed matrix of numbers corresponding to row and column positions, a handle, and two spin reels, one reel corresponding to a row position number and one reel corresponding to a column position number. The game is played by causing the machine to spin one or both of the reels in an attempt to match the numbers on the fixed display matrix. However, the game does not use random bingo cards typically found in the game of bingo and relies on the player's skill in attempting to stop the spinning reels at the right time to win the game. Accordingly, it is believed that the machine disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,743,024 fails to recreate the fun and enjoyment associated with the game of bingo. Further, the disclosed machine cannot be played by more than one player.
Accordingly, its an object of the present invention to provide a method and apparatus for playing the game of bingo on a slot machine or the like.
It is another object of the invention to provide a method and apparatus to play the game of bingo on a slot machine a player can utilize one or more display matrices.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a method and apparatus to play the game of bingo on a slot machine where two or more players can compete against each other.